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Many, having gathered many things from youth, when they came to the middle of life, when temptations from the spirits of wickedness rose up against them, did not bear the weight of the storm, because the helm was not with them; but they endured the loss of all those things.

For neither is it possible for fire, having caught hold of flammable material, not to spread over all of it, especially if it meets a favorable wind carrying the flame; nor for sin, having caught hold of one person, not to pass to all those near, when the spirits of wickedness ignite it.

(15Ε_480> Theol. Virtue is hard to achieve, and is not captured with small labors.

The possession of the good is rare and steep, even if there be much that draws and invites.

Wickedness is an easy thing, and nothing is so easy as to become evil. It is of the same difficulty both to acquire some good that does not exist, and

to preserve it once acquired. 1016 For often what zeal has gained, sloth has destroyed; and what idleness has lost, diligence has reclaimed.

It is easier to partake of vice than to impart virtue. The good is hard for human nature to grasp, just as fire is for

wetter matter; but most are ready and fit for the working of evil. That which is conspicuous in vice, many of those who are prone to slip into a similar zeal

it attracts. Wickedness is more ready to follow evil, than by the better to be

checked. For it is easier from the beginning not to yield to vice and to escape it when it approaches, than

to check it when it is advancing and to appear superior to it; just as to lift and hold a rock from the beginning, than to push it back when it is rolling down.

There is much pleasure in vice, but much labor and sweat is yoked with virtue. And what grace was there for you? Or what reward would you have received, if the matter were not laborious? For I can show many who by nature hate to have intercourse with a woman. Shall we then call these temperate or crown them? By no means. Temperance is self-control, and to fight and overcome pleasures.

Greg. Nyss. Great is the ease toward vice, and nature is swift-flowing toward the worse.

(15Ε_482> John Clim. With much toil and labor and sweat a good and well-ordered character is set right in us; and the things set right with much labor, it is possible to lose in a single moment of time.

Diogenes. Once, having lit a lamp in the daytime, he was walking about; and when some asked why he was doing this, he said he was looking for a man.

DISCOURSE 71. Concerning that the most is not always the best. (15Ε_484> Luke 21. And Jesus, looking up, saw those who were casting

their gifts into the treasury, rich men. And he also saw a certain poor widow, casting in there two mites, and he said, Truly I say to you, this poor widow has cast in more than all. For all these out of their abundance have cast into the gifts of God; but she out of her poverty has cast in all the living that she had.

1 Corinthians 14. In church I wish to speak five words with my mind, rather than ten thousand words in a tongue.

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Πολλοί πολλά συναθροίσαντες ἐκ νεότητος, περί τά μέσα τοῦ βίου γενόμενοι, ἐπαναστάντων αὐτοῖς πειρασμῶν ἐκ τῶν πνευμάτων τῆς πονηρίας, οὐκ ἤνεγκαν τοῦ χειμῶνος τό βάρος, διά τό τήν κυβέρνησιν αὐτοῖς μή παρεῖναι· ἀλλά πάντων ἐκείνων τήν ζημίαν ὑπέμειναν.

Οὔτε γάρ πῦρ εὐκαταπρήστου ὕλης ἁψάμενον, δυνατόν μή οὐχί ἐπί πᾶσαν αὐτήν διαβῆναι, ἄλλως τε κἄν ἐπιτύχῃ πνεύματος ἐπιφόρου τήν φλόγα διακομίζοντος· οὔτε τήν ἁμαρτίαν ἑνός ἁψαμένην, μή οὐχί ἐπί πάντας τούς ἐγγίζοντας διελθεῖν, ἐξαπτόντων αὐτήν τῶν πνευμάτων τῆς πονηρίας.

(15Ε_480> Θεολόγ. ∆υσκατόρθωτος ἡ ἀρετή, καί οὐ μικροῖς ἁλίσκεται πόνοις.

Σπάνιον ἡ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ κτῆσις καί πρόσαντες, κἄν εἰ πολύ τό μεθέλκον εἴη καί προκαλούμενον.

Πρόχειρον πρᾶγμα ἡ μοχθηρία, καί οὐδέν οὕτω ῥᾴδιον ὡς τό γενέσθαι κακόν. Τῆς αὐτῆς ἐστι δυσχερείας, καί κτήσασθαί τι τῶν ἀγαθῶν οὐχ ὑπάρχον, καί

κτηθέν διασώσαθαι. 1016 Πολλάκις γάρ ὅ μέν σπουδή προσέλαβε ῥᾳθυμία διέφθειρεν· ὅ δέ ὄκνος ἀπώλεσεν, ἀνεκαλέσατο ἐπιμέλεια.

Κακίας ῥᾷον μεταλαβεῖν, ἤ ἀρετῆς μεταδοῦναι. ∆ύσληπτον μέν τό ἀγαθόν τῇ ἀνθρωπίνῃ φύσει, ὥσπερ καί τό πῦρ ὕλῃ τῇ

ὑγροτέρα· ἕτοιμοι δέ πρός τήν τοῦ κακοῦ ἐργασίαν οἱ πλεῖστοι καί ἐπιτήδειοι. Τό ἐν κακίᾳ περίβλεπτον, πολλούς εἰς τόν ὅμοιον ζῆλον τῶν εὐολισθήτων

ἐφέλκεται. Πρόχειρον ἡ πονηρία τῷ κακῷ μᾶλλον ἀκολουθεῖν, ἤ ὑπό τοῦ κρείττονος

ἀνακόπτεσθαι. Ῥᾷον γάρ ἀπ᾿ ἀρχῆς μή ἐνδοῦναι κακίᾳ καί προ«οῦσαν διαφυγεῖν, ἤ

προβαίνουσαν ἀνακόψαι καί φανῆναι ταύτης ἀνώτερον· ὥσπερ καί πέτραν ἀπ᾿ ἀρχῆς αἱρῆσαι καί κατασχεῖν, ἤ φερομένην ἀνώσασθαι.

Πολλή μέν ἡδονή τῇ κακίᾳ, πολύς δέ τῇ ἀρετῇ συνέξευκται πόνος καί ἱδρώς. Καί ποία σοι χάρις ἦν; Τίνα δ᾿ ἄν ἔλαβες μισθόν, εἰ μή ἐπίπονον τό πρᾶγμα ἦν; Καί γάρ πολλούς ἔχω δεῖξαι, φύσει τό μίγνυσθαι γυναικί μισοῦντας. Τούτους οὖν σώφρονας καλέσομεν ἤ στεφανώσομεν; Οὐδαμῶς. Σωφροσύνη ἐστιν ἐγκράτεια, καί τό μαχόμενον περιγενέσθαι τῶν ἡδονῶν.

Γρηγ. Νύσσ. Πολλή πρός τήν κακίαν ἐστίν ἡ εὐκολία, καί ὀξύῤῥοπος ἐπί τό χεῖρον ἡ φύσις.

(15Ε_482> Ἰων. Κλίμ. Κόπῳ πολλῷ καί μόχθῳ καί ἱδρῶτι κατορθοῦται ἐν ἡμῖν ἦθος χρηστόν καί εὐκατάστατον· καί τά πολλῷ μόχθῳ κατορθούμενα, δυνατόν ἐν μιᾷ καιροῦ ῥοπῇ ἀπολέσαι.

∆ιογένης. Ἡμέρας ποτέ λύχνος ἅψας πειῄει· πυνθανομένων δέ τινων πρός τί τοῦτο, ἔλεγεν ἄνθρωπον ζητεῖν.

ΛΟΓΟΣ ΟΑ´. Περί τοῦ, ὅτι οὐκ ἀεί τό πλεῖστον ἄριστον. (15Ε_484> Λουκ. κα´. Ἀναβλέψας δέ ὁ Ἰησοῦς, εἶδεν τούς βάλλοντας τά

δῶρα αὐτῶν εἰς τό γαζοφυλάκιον πλουσίους. Εἶδε δέ καί τινα χήραν πενιχράν, βαλοῦσαν ἐκεῖ δύο λεπτά, καί εἶπεν, Ἀληθῶς λέγω ὑμῖν, ἡ χήρα ἡ πτωχή αὕτη πλείω πάντων ἔβαλεν. Ἅπαντες γάρ οὗτοι ἐκ τοῦ περισσεύοντος αὐτοῖς ἔβαλον εἰς τά δῶρα τοῦ Θεοῦ· αὕτη δέ ἐκ τοῦ ὑστερήματος αὐτῆς ἅπαντα τόν βίον, ὅν εἶχεν, ἔβαλεν.

Α´ Κορινθ. ιδ´. Ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ θέλω πέντε λόγους διά τοῦ νοός μου λαλῆσαι, ἤ μυρίους λόγους ἐν γλώσσῃ.